Running again
Axel kept trying to call Bethany and her call kept going to voice mail. He had to brainstorm where would she go. Where? She was up all day in court testifying and up all night with her tenants. It isn't safe to be drive sleep deprived .
Bethany drove aimlessly and before she realized she pulled up to the lake house . Bethany hadn't been here in a few years after she found out Roger was with Regina. She turned her car off and layed her head on the steering wheel. She hadn't had time to take in all that has happened in a few years.
She would have to homeschool Sunny if she was going to stay here. Right now she wanted to rest ,shower,and eat. She slammed her hand on the wheel. The food here is probably spoiled. What if the locks are changed or people live here? The questions flooded her mind.
You won't know if you don't try.she thought to herself. Sunny looked over the house with vague memories of the house in front of her.
" I know this place mommy. Can Axel stay here with us since him and Miss Avery and him aren't getting along? Asked Sunny.
Bethany shot her a look. How when she was asleep? Unless she wasn't asleep just pretending.
" Where you pretending to sleep when we went to axel's house?" Asked Bethany opening Sunny's door.
" Didn't you know Mommy I'm training to be a secret agent . We have spy tendencies. I'm going to hunt down bad guys and right the wrong of the world. " She said I'm a proud declaration.
" Oh dear you and Axel have been spending too much time together. You read lips,and sneak up on people,and now spy listening." Said Bethany as she took Sunny's hand looking around the area for any sign of life.
Bethany found the planter she shoved the keys in and moved her hands to reach to search for the key. Where is the damn thing thought Bethany. Then her hand grasped the key as she pulled it out in her hand. Sunny's eyebrows rose in response as her mother opened her hand with a dirty key in her hand.
Bethany dusted the key off on her pants and put the key in the door. She hesitated closing her eyes . The unknown was worse then the known. She inhaled her breath and turned the key as the locks clicked open.
She pushed the door opened and immediately saw the dust on the furniture. It's been a while since anyone has been here. She made Sunny wait on the porch as she walked around checking the rooms and garage doors . Leaving no room unchecked. The bedroom was as she left it . The bed covers hadn't moved like it was frozen in time.
She finally let Sunny in . As Sunny ran inside to plop on the bedroom they once shared . Bethany went and took a hot shower as she cried sitting on the floor of the shower. Now she was here all her problems overwhelmed her. The hot water made the glass doors steam up and the room insufferable overheated.she reached up to turn off the shower as she felt like she was unable to breath.
She inhaled deeply like she couldn't get enough air in her lungs and she cried out as she exhaled . Soon her breathing became normal. She layed against the shower wall as the cool tiles made her shiver now. She got up and grabbed a fluffy towel and wrapped herself. She began to dry her hair with another as she looked in the mirror. She remembered last time she was here she was a red head and the memories of the past flooded her.
Why was she running? Why was she scared of her family? Why are they coming after her if all she did was exist. Regina took her husband. Took Sunny's father from her. He chose her over me. Anger welled in her as she punched the mirror. Ryder kicked her out of her father's house as soon as he was dead. His grave didn't even grow cold when he sat in her father's study. She punched the mirror again. Roger betrayed her he stole from her mother and her. And for what jealousy , greed, envy . She hit the mirror again. James took Norma-Jean from her. Her only friend she wholly trusted. Norma-Jean didn't deserve that . Sunny didn't deserve to lose her Grammy. The only grandmother she would ever know. She smashed the mirror again. And finally Avery. Avery hates her for loving Axel . She hated Avery for making Axel chose her or Bethany. Gregory died she concluded the memories of her shattered past love. A father Sunny would never get to know. She was mad he left her but now he is dead .
Bethany looked at her hand . Her knuckles covered in blood and I'm added shards of the mirror . The mirror broken smeared with blood as her feeling grew red as the blood she shed. She quickly tried to clean out the shards and cleaned her wounds . She hissed in knowing pain. Pain reminds me I am still alive . She said in her head as she she added her vulnerability in that bathroom. Bethany was done running. She was pissed off.
Bethany threw the hair towel over the blooded mirror. She inhaled a deep breath as she covered her evidence of her tantrum. The towel hanged there over the mirror like a sheet covering furniture. She quickly opened the closet and found a few things she left behind. She couldn't take all the items she accumulated when she fled. She packed lightly . She remember Sunny had outgrown her clothes here.
She went to the refrigerator and it had spoiled food and she grabbed a trashcan and pour entire contents in the trash. She nodded as Sunny came in looking at her mother's injured hand in concern.
" Mommy what happened to your hand?" She said careful. Bethany stood in front of the refrigerator now empty . She exhaled a deep breath.
" I just well working out some issues. I'm fine sunshine just a flesh wound . It will heal. Mommy lost her temper." She said emotionlessness. Bethany tried tying up the now full trash bag and winced at the pain of her hand as she tightened the strings on the drawstring. She picked up the bag and hissed in pain. As she opened the door to take out the ruined food.
" Come on Sunny . We have some shopping to do. Let's go to town." Said Bethany as the pain in her hand reminded her of her new revelations. No more. No more hissed Bethany.
She tossed the trash in the bin and got in the car. She cranked the car and powered on her phone . As it powered up notifications rang through.
Eighty -seven missed calls . The text message blew up as message after message flooded the screen . " Bethany where are you."
She ignored Axels messages and put the car in reverse and slammed her hurt hand on the wheel. Sunny looked at her worried but kept quiet . She pulled out of the cabins driveway.
Axel held his phone as he sat in his car and fell asleep. He wasn't going in that house with Avery after what she did. He couldn't believe his mom was home and she didn't even tell him. He spent all night trying to reach Bethany fearing he actually lost her. He knew she would run. She did it before.
The sun peaked over the front yard as Axel woke to a tapping on his window. He cracked his eyes open as he saw his mom knocking on the window. For ansestors sake let this nightmare end he thought ignoring her. Maybe she will go away if he pretended he was still asleep. Then she jiggled his door latch as he grew annoyed with her persistence.
" Axel Jing , open this door right now. I know your not asleep." She said now banging and jiggling the door latch at the same time.
" For the love of the ancestors .what! "
Thought Axel as he sat up and looked at her now angry he was woken up after a bad night's sleep and seeing her first thing in the morning. He opened his door to prevent her from breaking his door latch. He seen her do it when his father sit in the car refusing to come in. Pulled the latch off and didn't even say sorry.
He stood there as calm as he could not to cause disrespect. He towered over her small frame as he tried not to cross his arms over himself in disappointment. He waited for her to speak because he wasn't going to first.
" Axel. Come inside . I've made food. Come in before it gets cold." She said more of a order rather than an invitation.
Axel nodded his head in a slight bow as her followed her inside the house. Avery sat at the table as she scoffed at the sight of Axel. Like his very presence offended her. Axel went to wash his hands as he sat at the table glaring at Avery. The two stared each other down not talking.
" Eat. Now." Demanded his mom as the tension filled the room.Axel looked at his mom with her demanding time like nothing had changed. Like she didn't abandon the entire family and left them in destitude . He ignored his mother as he looked around the room for the first time.
" Where is Caden ? " Asked Axel as he watched Avery throw her hands up in frustration and scoot her chair back to leave.
" Sit. No one told you that you were excused." Snapped her mom as she pointed at Avery. Avery stood like a scorned child as she sat back down and lowered her head as she didn't like the embarrassment of her mother scolding her in front of Axel. Her mother was always scolding her no matter what age she was. Sometimes she swore her mom despised her for being alive.
" He is in his room he won't come out." Growled Avery not looking up from her position. As she hated to admit out loud she couldn't make her son obey her .
" I wonder why .I would be hiding in my room too if my nainai came home and had to pretend everything was back to normal? How did you expect him to act?" Snapped back Axel .
" Axel. You go talk to that boy . Make him come out to eat. " Ordered his mom. As she didn't like how he talked about her while she was standing there.
Axel got up and went to Caden's door as he knocked on the door. He shook his head how Avery couldn't mother her son and make him listen to her.
" Go away. I'm not hungry." Yelled the boy through the door.
" Caden, it's shūshū. May I come in zhizi?" He asked in their native language. Caden was raised on English since he was born here ,but intimate words for family members were used in their native language.
" Shūshū." Said Caden jumping to open the door. Axel walked through the door and sat on the bed. Caden ran to sit beside his uncle. Him and his uncle was always close. When Avery had him she barely could look at him . Those grey eyes haunted her . Axel did most of the feedings and bonding with Caden. He even named the poor boy because she refused to name him.
" Zhizi, what's the matter. Why are you refusing to eat?" Asked Axel calmly.
" I'm upset with momma for letting Nainai stay. I don't want to see her. She left me." He said crossing his arms in stubbornness.
" Zhizhi. She didn't just leave you . She left all of us. I know it hurts to see her ,but it's not your momma fault she came back . You of all people know Nainai don't follow by the rules ." explained Axel.
" But it's her fault she let her stay." Caden pointed out. Caden didn't understand why she was allowed to stay when he saw his momma struggle when she left.
" Zhizi . I'm also upset she let her stay but starving yourself to death won't do anything but take you away from us. Do you want you shushu sad he has to burry you due to starvation how sad I'll be to lose his favorite zhizi?" He said as he looked in the boys small sad eyes.
" I'm your only zhizi . shūshū. " He said as a matter of fact. Now his hands on his hips in protest.
" All the more reason not to starve to death in your room. I hear it's a rather lengthy process. You get really thirsty. Than all your innards start to leak out and burst under pressure and then the pain of hunger ." Said Axel trying to make it as grotesque as possible.
" Stop shūshū. I'll go eat. Just stop." He covered his ear not wanting to hear more. Axel picked up Caden and pretended to fly him out of the room like Superman as he held him under his stomach mid air.
" Shūshū I'm too old for that." He said as Axel felt sad his nephew was too old for airplanes and he put him back down as he pouted a little .
" Can I tell you something?" He confided in his uncle. As he sat on his bed .
" You can tell me anything. I am always willing to listen." He reminded Caden .
" Momma went to a business building a few weeks ago. I met a man with the same grey eyes I have. He asked to take us to McDonald's and momma told me no . She has been acting mean every since then." Said Caden saddened .
" Did you get the name of this man?" He asked as he looked at the door knowing who Avery went to see now.
" She called him Roger . He also called momma by her first name. " Confirmed Caden .
Axel was ferious Avery brought his nephew around Roger after all he did to her. What was she thinking?
" I see. When did Nainai come back." Axel was careful not to use the word home to not upset his nephew.
" A month ago. She yells at momma . Calls her stupid. She fussed about momma living like a popper . What is a popper? I just stay in my room a lot I'm not ready to see her. " Caden confessed.
" A popper is a poor person." answered Axel.
" Well that is mean to say. I'm mad at that now I know what it means." The boy folded his arms .
" Look zhizi it's okay to be mad and upset at things you can control. But that's it you can't control everything. But what you can control is how you respond to your elders regardless of the circumstances. Disrespecting your elders. You may not listen to her because you are hurt. But you must do the right thing and honor our ways. It takes a bigger person to stay in character then to step out of it. Nainai don't understand she hurt you the way she did, but you can't hide from her forever. Sometimes we must face our problems head on to conquer them. We can't defeat the dragon if we are hiding behind the wall scared of it." Said Axel to Caden in a stern voice.
" Okay. I think I understand." Caden said as he took his uncle's hand and opened the door to leave the bedroom .
Caden stood by the chair next to Axel . Avery glared in contempt at Axel as she saw them hand and hand . She had been trying for weeks to get him to come to the table. Axel goes on and he comes out. It was so infuriating all her work with him and Axel saves the day in a few minutes.
" Caden , come sit beside me." Demanded Avery and edge a bit harsher.
" I want to sit by shūshū." Replied Caden in defiance. Avery's eyes shot up to axels as if he had stolen her son from her. Axel leaned down and whispered to Caden for only him to hear.
" Even your mother is considered an elder. You may not want to sit by her but she requested it ." Said Axel to Caden nodded his head and finally surrendered and sat beside his momma .
Avery glared at Axel as the room ate in silence and growing discontent. Avery stabbed her food with hateful intent as Caden lowered his head not looking or speaking . He wanted to eat as fast as possible. He was really hungry since he hadn't eaten in days . Even their mom ate quietly as she glared at her two children at a silent war with each other.
" What's the matter with you two?" Snapped their mom.
Caden looked up popping all his food in his mouth at once . He swallowed very fast and drank his juice spilling some on his shirt.
" Shūshū , may I be excused. I am done eating and need to change my shirt." He said looking for an excuse to escape the table before the fight broke out. Axel nodded in response and Caden began to run to his room.
" Zhizi! Walk. Don't run." Reminded Axel to Caden." Do not slam that door." He added. Caden slowed down and went to his room as he closed the door softly.
Avery scoffed as Caden did as Axel says ." You would think Axel was his father as he obeys his every whim." Fussed Avery.
" Well. If you showed more patients and discipline maybe he would honor you like me." Retorted Axel.
" I am his mother not you." She reminded him.
" Then act like it. Or do you plan on following in her footsteps with your methods of parenting? " He said cutting Avery like a knife .
His mother's face twisted in anger as she saw her son questioning her parenting.
" Axel." Interjected his mom.
" No. With all do respect mom. I'm being very cautious with my words to not cause you any disrespect,but you can not come up in this house and pick up where you left off. We are not children anymore. We have taken care of everything when you left us. We burried your husband our father . We maintained this house. We did all this without you here to help. So right now the problem between me and Avery is between us." Said Axel in an even tone.
" You don't get to talk to me that way in my home ." She scored him.
" In my home. Not yours. It seized to be your home when you abandoned us. You may bully Avery but I will not yield. I am the head of this house now . If you do not like it you may leave. " Said Axel a bit testier .
" Axel. " Interjected Avery .
" You do not get to talk. You let her stay. You didn't tell me . She has been here a month and you didn't let me know. " He scolded his sister.
" Axel this is still my home even if I leave. I will always have a home . I am your mom. Your father wouldn't want to see you throw me out ." Persuaded his mom.
" Why are you here ,mom. Did you run out of money already? You couldn't wait till dad died to be rid of us. You took all we had and left us with nothing. We had to figure out all of this on pur own. Did you forget how you left us. No warning no money. Caden is traumatized because you left. He is a very hurt boy. You don't get to go and come in and out of our lives when it suites you. " He said angered.
" You keep Caden's name out of your mouth." Screamed Avery.
" Why would Rogers name be more to your liking . I know Avery . Don't you dare deny it. You took my nephew to see him . After all he did to you ." Yelled Axel.
" He is his father. If I want him to see his father that is my business not yours." Retorted Avery eyes brimming in anger.
" No he is a sperm donor who didn't want you. You were entertainment to him.if he cared for you at all then why did he hide you in hotels and coffee shops instead of honestly dating you. Wake up and smell the bull crap , Avery. He used you. You ended up with a child. And now after almost ten years all of a sudden you matter. He isn't here for you and using Caden to get his attention is pathetic." He said as he approached Avery now in tears.
" Your just mad Bethany left you." Screamed Avery trying to deflect the conversation away from her.
" Because of you. You pushed her away from me. I was going to marry her and you couldn't stand it. Bethany has never done anything to you and yet you treat her like this. You hated her for loving me. The only reason you don't like her because it takes the focus off of you.. you are a petty person and you'll always be alone with how you treat people.You might have gotten rid of her but I will find her and I will marry her no matter what you do. You don't get to make her leave me. She came here after helping her community all night long after she had to face the murderer of her dearest friend she had to bury because of him. You turned her away. Now she is gone and that is your fault. Nothing you can do will make me forgive you for that ." Said Axel as his face streaked with anger.
" Then go to her leave. Your dead to me now. You are no brother of mine. I hate you go be with your precious Bethany." She screamed at Axel pushing him towards the door.
" Fine. Stay here . Grow up to be like mom. I'll see Caden when you truly decide to embrace your demons. You are a selfish ,jealous, and toxic person Avery . And you will end up like mom. Because you already are like her." He said knowing those words were not able to take back once they were said out loud."choose It is me or mom." He said holding her hands from further assaulting him with her angry fist. Avery full of hurt and hate.
Caden sat in his room as he listened to the screams and wails and muffled words through the small house as he stared at his bedroom door terrified what was going on outside his room.
" It is me or Bethany." Screamed Avery in anger response as she was trying to pull away from him now .
" Wow!" Is all Axel responded ." And there it is. " He said as he pushed her off of him slamming the door as he left. Axel fumed for a minute processing what just happened. He pulled out his phone and made a call.
" Hey man what's up?" Answered Paul .
" Hey can I come stay with you a bit. Avery is flipping out and I can't be around her. I'll explain it to you later. I just need some time to think." He said trying to calm down.
" Sure no problem man come on over. I'll get some beers and we can hang at the loft." Said Paul trying not to pry . He knew Axel wasn't one to talk to when he was upset. It was best for him to calm down first.
" Thanks man." He said hanging up the phone as he got in the car and peeled out of the driveway.